Disproportionality Scrutiny Group

Unmesh Desai: What progress has been made on the establishment of a new Disproportionality Scrutiny Group?

The Mayor: It is only a matter of weeks since I published my Action Plan for Transparency, Accountability and Trust in Policing. The Scrutiny Group is an important part of my Action Plan, and it’s important to take the time to get it right. Staff within my Office for Policing and Crime will continue to work with communities to develop the approach of the Group and the Plan over the coming months.
In the Plan, I committed to ensuring communities remain involved in shaping and developing its implementation. On the 25 February there will be a further opportunity for community involvement, where I have invited Londoners to join me in reflecting on the work of the Action Plan to date.
The Scrutiny Group is an important part of my Action Plan. Staff within my Office for Policing and Crime will continue to work with communities to develop the approach of the Group and the Plan over the coming months.
In the Plan, I committed to ensuring communities remain involved in shaping and developing its implementation. We will be convening more community consultation in the new few weeks when there will be a further opportunity for community involvement.

Staff Absence (2)

Andrew Dismore: How many working days were lost as a result of LFB staff needing to self-isolate during 2020? Please provide a breakdown between operational, control, non-operational and non-uniformed.

The Mayor: Occupational Group
Self-isolate
Operational
29,426
Control
508
FRS
786
Grand Total
30,720

Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents (2)

Andrew Dismore: Does the LFB have a fully risk-assessed decontamination procedure?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) has an existing policy in respect of firefighter decontamination (PN584) which is risk-assessed and provides a safe system of work. This is principally designed for hazardous materials.
The risk assessment for fire contaminants is complete and a new policy specifically for fire contamination is in draft form. A review of this draft is being undertaken in response to the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) report, and LFB is consulting with the FBU regarding the introduction of the new procedures and the equipment required. The extant firefighter decontamination policy will remain in pace to deal with hazardous materials and the procedures will be used for fire contaminants in the interim while the new policy for fire contaminants is finalised.

Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents (1)

Andrew Dismore: The recent FBU report ‘Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic fire effluents’1 recommends that respiratory protective equipment is worn at all times whilst firefighting. Will you commit to implementing this for the London Fire Brigade?

1Fire Brigades Union, ‘Minimising fire fighters’ exposure to toxic effluents’ [Date accessed 23.11.2020]

The Mayor: I welcome the recent FBU report ‘Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic fire effluents’ and the work the union is undertaking with the London Fire Brigade on this issue. The current Respiratory Equipment Policy (PN466) details the procedures to be adopted when self-contained breathing apparatus (BA) is used. Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is used when personnel are committed to atmospheres with the potential to cause respiratory discomfort or injury. The London Fire Commissioner determines the operational procedures for the London Fire Brigade.

LFB and LAS [1]

Andrew Dismore: Have the costs incurred by LFB due to supporting the work of LAS during the Covid-19 pandemic now been reimbursed? If so, how much has been paid; and if not, how much is due?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade’s Q2 2020/21 financial position report included COVID-19 response costs of £9,412k, with net costs of £4,152k after additional funding which included an estimated cost recovery from the London Ambulance Service (LAS) of £3,500k. The LAS has now been invoiced for these costs to a total of £3,461k with invoices totalling £2,065k paid to date.

Staff Absence (4)

Andrew Dismore: What help and support is available to LFB staff either needing to self-isolate or to take sick leave?

The Mayor: Advice is available to all employees through the London Fire Brigade (LFB) intranet on the steps they need to take in the event that they need to report sickness or self-isolate. Those who remain unwell due to COVID-19 for a prolonged period are automatically referred to the Brigade’s occupational health service. Employees can also request referral to the occupational health service if they require medical advice and LFB’s Counselling and Trauma Services Team remains available to all employees in the event they need mental health support.

Electric vehicle charging points and LFB (3)

Andrew Dismore: Have any fire stations removed public access to electric vehicle charging points in the last year? If so please provide details of which stations and the reasons why public access has been changed.

The Mayor: As part of the Mayor’s London Environment Strategy published in 2018, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) are committed to achieving a zero emission fleet. This involves switching their current fleet to zero emission vehicles, including electric.
Between 2015 and 2020, nine charging points at the front of fire stations were accessible to the general public. Public access to these points was switched off in July 2020, at Croydon, East Ham, Edmonton, Finchley, Hainault, Harold Hill, Hornsey, Ilford, and New Malden fire stations.
While these charging points initially provided access to the public, LFB has since moved to a fully electric car fleet in line with their own zero emission commitment and usage by both fleet and staff vehicles has increased. It has, therefore proved challenging to keep the public access open, whilst maintaining availability for LFB vehicles.

Electric vehicle charging points and LFB (2)

Andrew Dismore: Has there been any policy change regarding the public use of electric vehicle charging points at fire stations? Please provide details if so.

The Mayor: As part of the Mayor’s London Environment Strategy published in 2018, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) are committed to achieving a zero emission fleet. This involves switching their current fleet to zero emission vehicles, including electric.
Between 2015 and June 2020, nine charging points at the front of fire stations were accessible to the public. Public access to these points was switched off in July 2020 to support the LFB’s commitment of achieving a zero emission fleet. Further detail of the reasons for the change are set out in MQ 2020/4476.

Staff Welfare (3)

Andrew Dismore: How many sickness days have been taken by LFB staff due to stress in the year 2020/21? Please provide a breakdown month by month.

The Mayor: Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
2020/21
1091
1148
1265
1315
1351
1363
1218
1162
1181

LFB Funding from Government (5)

Andrew Dismore: What are the average annual costs to the LFB of making applications for government funding?

The Mayor: There are very few opportunities for London Fire Brigade to apply for government funding, it is therefore not possible to provide an annual average cost of making applications.

Staff Absence (1)

Andrew Dismore: How many days of leave for LFB staff were cancelled during 2020? Please provide a breakdown between operational, control, non-operational and non-uniformed.

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade does not record instances of staff leave being cancelled. The rostering system used for the recording of leave can identify leave which has been deleted but it is not possible to break that down to identify cancelled leave as opposed to leave deleted for other reasons such as sickness, change of leave dates and operational moves to different watches.

The impact of Covid-19 of LFB’s operational response

Andrew Dismore: What impact has COVID-19 had on the operational response of the London Fire Brigade, including the second lockdown?

The Mayor: Data for the period March to November 2020, with comparative data for the same period in 2019, is set out in the table below. London Fire Brigade (LFB) has attended a lower volume of incidents when compared to the year previously, with total incidents numbers down by 8 per cent. Fire casualties are down compared to 2019, and attendance times are faster than in 2019. There are some incident types that show an increase in 2020 compared to 2019, the most significant being ‘good intent’ false alarms in dwellings which are up 10 per cent. However, LFB picked up additional responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic to support blue light partners, including providing the London Ambulance Service with 450 volunteer firefighters through the Ambulance Driver Assist programme and 96 volunteers taking part in the Pandemic Multi-Agency Response Teams.
Type of incident
2019
2020
Difference
All incidents
81,314
74,584
-6,730
Primary fires
7,422
6,669
-753
Fires in the home
3,975
3,788
-187
Secondary fires
6,900
7,427
-527
Special service incidents
25,369
22,845
-2,590
Road traffic collisions
3,464
2,483
-981
Lift releases
4,248
3,154
-1,094
False alarms – automatic fire alarms in non-residential buildings
17,155
13,244
-3,911
False alarms – good intent in dwellings
4,749
5,218
+469
Fire casualties
2019
2020
Difference
Fire injuries
479
457
-22
Fire fatalities
27
20
-7
Attendance times
2019
2020
Difference
First appliance
05:15
05:00
-00:15
Second appliance
06:33
06:11
-00:22

Staff Absence (3)

Andrew Dismore: How many sickness days were taken by LFB staff during 2020? Please provide a breakdown between operational, control, non-operational and non-uniformed.

The Mayor: Occupational Group
Lost Working Days
Operational Staff
45,827
Control Staff
1379
FRS Staff
6797
Total
54,003

Safer Schools Officers

Unmesh Desai: What measures do the Met and MOPAC currently have in place to monitor and assess the work of Safer School Officers, in particular to ensure there are no disproportionate impacts for Black children?

The Mayor: The MPS Central Youth Strategy, Engagement & Schools team sets the overall direction for Safer Schools Officers (SSOs) through the provision of the Safer Schools Partnership Handbook, Protocol and Data Sharing Agreements. The performance of individual officers is in turn assessed through local Basic Command Unit (BCU) delivery.
SSO officer numbers are monitored monthly by MOPAC and their role also forms part of the regular discussions between my Deputy Mayor for Policing & Crime and Assistant Commissioner for Frontline Policing. MOPAC also conduct a Youth Survey, which includes questions on protected characteristics and on young people’s views of SSOs to help understand any disproportionate impacts.
As per my Action Plan the MPS recognises that there is further work to do to make the work of SSOs more transparent. The MPS has established a quarterly programme board to monitor the role of SSOs and has also completed an Equality Impact Assessment on the use of SSOs. MOPAC will be working with the MPS to ensure all actions within the assessment are complete.

Staff Welfare (4)

Andrew Dismore: How many sickness days were taken by LFB staffs due to stress in the year 2019/20? Please provide a breakdown month by month.

The Mayor: Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
2019/20
1100
1053
1075
1094
1173
1243
1305
1218
1100
1132
1188
1260

Staff Welfare (5)

Andrew Dismore: How many sickness days were taken by LFB staff due to stress in the year 2018/19? Please provide a breakdown month by month.

The Mayor: Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
2018/19
889
989
1009
1090
1114
1112
1307
1073
1088
1120
1053
1181

Non-Critical Work and Covid-19 (1)

Andrew Dismore: Which non-critical work has the Brigade stopped in order to provide for the emergency response to Covid-19 in December and January?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) suspended all training from 20 December 2020 until 3 January 2021. All community safety activities including Home Fire Safety Visits, other than those deemed risk-critical, were also suspended.Local watch training continued as normal to ensure crews remained as prepared as possible and to enable the Brigade to understand the impact of London moving into Tier 4.
On 4 January 2021, LFB reintroduced essential and risk-critical training, with robust safety measures in place at all training venues. The suspension of all non-critical training has ensured LFB has limited the movement and increased the availability of staff to maintain their frontline emergency response to Covid-19. The Brigade continues to support local borough partnerships for vulnerable people in local communities including delivery of food supplies and other essential items such as pharmacy deliveries. LFB has also adapted the delivery of community safety work through the utilisation of digital platforms.

Non-Critical Work and Covid-19 (2)

Andrew Dismore: How will stopping non-critical work impact upon the ability of LFB to maintain response times during the second wave of Covid-19 in London?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade has continued to achieve its attendance targets to get the first fire engine to an incident within a London wide average of six minutes and a second fire engine within a London-wide average of eight minutes throughout the pandemic. Suspending non-critical work has had no impact on these targets.

TfL Finances - Mayoral Priorities

Keith Prince: Given the state of TfL’s finances, do you now accept that you should scrap nominee passes and reduce TfL pension contributions to the public sector average in preference to any other TfL savings?

The Mayor: Before the Coronavirus pandemic, Transport for London (TfL) was on the path to achieving a level of financial sustainability almost unheard of among transport authorities around the world. But the pandemic has revealed that TfL’s funding model, in which it has been forced to rely disproportionately heavily on fare revenue, simply doesn't work when faced with such a devastating financial shock.
That’s why last year, the TfL Board and I commissioned an independent review to examine potential options for long-term financial stability and firmer foundations into the future – this report was published on 11 December 2020. In addition, TfL submitted its Financial Sustainability Plan to Government as one of the commitments in the H2 funding which set out how TfL proposes to achieve financial sustainability.
The current benefits offered to employees, particularly around travel concessions, are in keeping with other transport organisations including Network Rail, Train Operating Companies and Bus Companies. Staff nominee passes are a long-standing benefit for TfL employees and have a very low cost impact because the number of journeys is a tiny proportion of the total number of Tube and bus journeys made every day, meaning very little lost income and no additional services needing to be operated.
There are currently no plans to propose any cuts to employees pay or benefits. TfL’s Financial Sustainability Plan recommends that any review of the reward package as part of the funding discussions with Government should be considered holistically with all elements – base pay, pensions and other benefits – taken into account to ensure the overall package remains fair and competitive, whilst also remaining affordable. As is always the case, any proposals in the future would be subject to consultation with TfL’s employees and its trade unions.

ADA and taking Appliances off the run

Andrew Dismore: How many appliances have been taken ‘off the run’ in order to allow for ADA? Please provide a month by month breakdown for January-December 2020

The Mayor: The tripartite agreement with the London Ambulance Service (LAS), which supports Ambulance Driver Assist (ADA), initially ran from 13 April 2020 and volunteers were requested again on 23 December 2020. London Fire Brigade vehicles will show as ‘off-the-run’ at some point during any day and the reasons for this are set out in the response to MQ 2020/3101.
Consequently, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of appliances that were taken ‘off-the-run’ in order to allow for ADA. Throughout the pandemic, the Brigade has continued to achieve its attendance targets to get the first fire engine to an incident within a London wide average of six minutes and a second fire engine within a London-wide average of eight minutes.

Covid-19

David Kurten: What discernible impact (if any) has Covid-19 had on the operational effectiveness of the London Fire Brigade?

The Mayor: Data for the period March to November 2020, with comparative data for the same period in 2019, is set out in the table below. London Fire Brigade (LFB) has attended a lower volume of incidents when compared to the year previously, with total incidents numbers down by 8 per cent. Fire casualties are down compared to 2019, and attendance times are faster than in 2019. There are some incident types that show an increase in 2020 compared to 2019, the most significant being ‘good intent’ false alarms in dwellings which are up 10 per cent. However, LFB picked up additional responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic to support blue light partners, including providing the London Ambulance Service with 450 volunteer firefighters through the Ambulance Driver Assist programme and 96 volunteers taking part in the Pandemic Multi-Agency Response Teams.
Type of incident
2019
2020
Difference
All incidents
81,314
74,584
-6,730
Primary fires
7,422
6,669
-753
Fires in the home
3,975
3,788
-187
Secondary fires
6,900
7,427
-527
Special service incidents
25,369
22,845
-2,590
Road traffic collisions
3,464
2,483
-981
Lift releases
4,248
3,154
-1,094
False alarms – automatic fire alarms in non-residential buildings
17,155
13,244
-3,911
False alarms – good intent in dwellings
4,749
5,218
+469
Fire casualties
2019
2020
Difference
Fire injuries
479
457
-22
Fire fatalities
27
20
-7
Attendance times
2019
2020
Difference
First appliance
05:15
05:00
-00:15
Second appliance
06:33
06:11
-00:22

Fire and Building Safety (5)

Caroline Pidgeon: Do you agree with me that it is wrong that under current legislation leaseholders have no legal right to see the fire risk assessment for the building in which they live?

The Mayor: Leaseholders should have information provided to them about the risks in their buildings and the actions being taken to protect them. That was included in the government’s ‘Fire Safety’ consultation which closed in October 2020, together with a proposal that all leaseholders should have access to the fire risk assessment for the building ‘on demand’. I will continue to work with London Fire Brigade on this and related matters when the Building Safety Bill is published.

Fire and Building Safety (6)

Caroline Pidgeon: Do you support the proposal for a public register of fire risk assessments, so would-be renters and owners can check the fire safety status of their potential new home, such as the one used to register domestic Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)?

The Mayor: Residents in a building should know what risks have been identified and what has or what will be done about that. Recent Government proposals have stated that this will happen and that fire risk assessments should be available to residents on request. Whether there should be a publicly available register of fire risk assessments is a wider question given the very broad spectrum of premises could potentially apply to, the need for enforcement of the requirement, and any implications that may arise for security and crime. I understand the aims of this proposal and share the views of the London Fire Brigade that more detailed consideration be given to how such a scheme might work in practice.

Fire and Building Safety (7)

Caroline Pidgeon: Would you support the establishment of a public register of fire risk assessors so homeowners can verify that fire assessors are qualified to conduct compulsory checks, and enable government and industry to assess the numbers required to be trained?

The Mayor: There should be an accessible way for people seeking to employ a fire risk assessor to verify that those they potentially employ hold the relevant qualification, for the relevant type and use of building. Whether that is through a single national register or through another mechanism such as a qualification awarding or verification bodies, is something that must be given significant consideration by Government.

LFB Fire Safety Review of Care Homes

Caroline Pidgeon: I understand the LFB recently undertook fire safety reviews of London care homes. Can you please provide the details of what practical actions came from this review as well as timescales and progress on the actions that were identified? https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/03/care-homes-fail-fire-safety-inspections-risk-to-elderly

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) trialled a new audit procedure for care homes in 2018/19.Analysis of those findings led to recognising the need to changethe auditing approach for care homes and revised guidance forinspecting. In early 2019 inspecting officers received Continued Professional Development training and guidance on the common fire safety issues found during the review.
LFBhas since undertaken activity to raise awareness of fire safety in care homes which includes a series of workshops for care home providers, local authorities and the Care Quality Commission. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on LFB’s work in this area, however fire safety officers developed a programme of webinars that could be hosted remotely to continue the education of local authority care providers. From September 2020present, theyhave provided 15 of these webinars.

HSE and LFB Stations (1)

Andrew Dismore: How many and which London fire stations have been visited by the HSE since March 2020? Please provide a month by month breakdown.

The Mayor: The Health and Safety Executive has conducted two inspections of fire stations since March 2020. Inspections were carried out at Kingston and Bromley fire stations. Both inspections were carried out on 2 December 2020.

Concerns over the Met’s Response Time to Subject Access and Freedom of Information Requests

Caroline Pidgeon: A report published by the Information Commissioner on 10 November 2020 about the Timeliness of responses to information access requests by police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland stated that it had taken formal action against the Met for failing in its data protection obligations by not responding to a significant number of requests on time. How are you working with the Met to improve the response time for such requests to ensure they are in line with the statutory time limits?

The Mayor: The MPS was subject to Enforcement Action (FOIA) regarding timeliness of responses to Right of Access (ROA) requests in June 2019. The MPS subsequently invested to improve this situation and develop data capabilities, including creating a Data Office whose functions include overseeing legislative compliance. In March 2020 the ICO lifted its Enforcement Notice on the MPS, recognising the significant steps taken.
The MPS publish monthly dashboards on FOIA and ROA performance, accessible on their website, which show that performance is much improved.

Control, Operational Response and Special Operations Group Merger (2)

Andrew Dismore: What consultations with staff took place regarding the proposed merger? What were the conclusions and recommendations from these consultations?

The Mayor: All the respective trade unions were asked to make comments on the draft Operational Resilience and Special Operations Group Review and proposed recommendations. The only trade union to respond to the request was the Fire Officers Association (FOA). The majority of the recommendations focus on business as usual improvement and changes to reporting lines. Where further discussion is required on specific recommendations, and they have a direct impact on staff, London Fire Brigade will consult all trade unions as appropriate.

Santander Cycles, Southfields (2)

Leonie Cooper: I have been contacted by the Southfields Business Forum, who have lobbied me against an installation of a Santander Cycle rack close to Southfields Station - have you also seen this correspondence and what is your response?

The Mayor: I have received correspondence from Gill Habberson (undated) on this subject to which I have replied separately. I am unaware why this has been raised as we have no plans to extend the scheme to Southfields. Any expansions to the scheme are based on propensity to cycle and being geographically co-joined to the existing scheme footprint neither of which Southfields fufils the criteria for.

Santander Cycles, Southfields (1)

Leonie Cooper: Has Wandsworth Council or any Wandsworth Councillors contacted TFL or any part of the GLA about an extension of the Santander Cycle scheme to Southfields Station in Wandsworth?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) does not have any record of contact from Wandsworth Council relating to a potential extension of the Cycle Hire scheme at Southfields station.
TfL is always happy to discuss opportunities to bring the benefits of Cycle Hire to more Londoners should funding be available. However, it has no current plans to extend the scheme towards Southfields.

Machine Learning and LFB

Andrew Dismore: How is artificial intelligence being used to enhance the work of LFB?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) is implementing Microsoft 365 across the organisations. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is built into Microsoft 365 and the tools that staff will use regularly, such as Outlook, Word, Excel. There are lots of features being introduced with this software that have started to help with the routine, repeatable work so that staff can concentrate on the more involved tasks. For example, Outlook can now read emails to the user and can dictate emails and Word documents. AI also helps to translate documents where required and can automatically caption videos or PowerPoint presentations. Behind the scenes, Microsoft 365 can proactively manage threats to protect business and personal data. LFB also use a cyber defence system, Darktrace, that utilises both AI and machine learning. The system baselines ‘normal’ digital operating environments powered by self-learning AI that autonomously detects, investigates and responds to cyber-attacks as soon as they occur.

LFB’s Fire Safety Department (1)

Andrew Dismore: Has LFB’s fire safety department increased in size either in officer numbers or in workload since 2017? Please give staffing numbers and ranks for each year from 2017 to date.

The Mayor: There have been increases in both workload and staffing numbers across the London Fire Brigade’s fire safety department since 2017.
Following the Grenfell Tower fire, the fire safety regulation team has taken a more robust approach to the inspection and audit regime. The community safety function has taken on more pilot projects, carried out more collaborative working on other blue light projects and worked on the projected expansion of Fire Cadets. This has all contributed to an increase in workload and staffing.
The table below sets out staffing numbers by rank and grade, comparing the actual number of employees to establishment, from 2017 to date.
1 April 2017
1 April 2018
1 April 2018
1 April 2020
As of 30 November 2020
Role/Grade
Est
Act
Est
Act
Est
Act
Est
Act
Est
Act
Asst Commissioner
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
Dep Asst Commissioner
2.00
2.00
3.00
2.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
GM/GC
4.00
4.00
4.00
4.00
4.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
4.00
4.00
SM/SC
18.00
16.00
18.00
16.00
18.00
15.00
18.00
15.00
18.00
15.00
WM B/ StnO
47.00
38.00
46.00
37.00
44.00
38.00
42.00
33.00
42.00
32.00
WM A/SubO
57.00
48.83
59.00
46.50
59.00
43.83
62.00
35.65
62.00
36.65
TMG 4/TMG C
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
2.00
1.00
2.00
1.00
FRS G
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
6.00
5.00
FRS F
10.00
10.00
11.00
10.00
9.00
8.00
11.00
9.00
14.40
9.00
FRS E
17.00
14.60
22.00
17.00
24.00
20.00
26.60
22.60
29.60
23.60
FRS D
16.50
15.19
20.50
17.30
37.60
28.20
125.30
96.30
126.30
91.20
FRS C/D
104.30
102.38
105.30
94.38
88.50
82.38
10.70
9.70
11.70
8.90
FRS C
29.00
27.79
35.00
30.39
56.20
48.14
58.20
68.64
81.70
73.64
FRS B
48.68
46.21
58.68
57.14
62.68
45.94
58.18
54.48
64.68
47.30
Business Administration Apprentices
5.00
4.00

HSE and Training (2)

Andrew Dismore: Why has LFB’s face-to-face training not been moved to online virtual training which offers similar features to enable discussion?

The Mayor: A review oftraining was undertaken to identify current training delivery methods and suitability for conversion. Some courses have already been converted to a virtual platform where this has been possible, for example 80 per cent of the fire safety training suite of courses, all training for trainers and all functional skills courses. The transfer to virtual training needs to be supported by enhanced IT equipment at fire stations. This work is ongoing with 29 fire stations facilities being upgraded. It is anticipated that these enhancements will be completed by the end of March 2021.

Filling fire safety posts (1)

Andrew Dismore: There has been a longstanding arrangement that an ARA/specialist rank would be paid to take a junior officer to the rank above in recognition of additional work they are doing
because operations officers would need to do operations on top of fire safety work. Why was this not offered for the c 20 fire safety posts needing to be filled?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade officers are in active discussions with the Fire Brigades Union about bringing operational staff into fire safety roles, which includes discussions on remuneration, access to qualifications and staying within the terms of the Role to Rank framework. It is anticipated that agreement will be reached, enabling more operational staff to undertake opportunities within fire safety.

Covid and self-isolation of firefighters

Andrew Dismore: There are different interpretations by different officers on when firefighters should self-isolate due to Covid 19, not following NHS or PHE advice. Will you ensure that this advice is applied consistently across LFB?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade introduced risk assessments and Covid-19 secure guidelines and continually reviews working practices with Public Health England (PHE), partner agencies and representative bodies. Additionally, the Brigade Continuity Centre (BCC) has issued a Covid handbook to all managers of Station Commander and above, which provides advice on howvarious situations should be managed. The BCC is the receiving point of any notifications of the need for a station-based employee to either self-isolate or go on sick leave following notification of a positive Covid diagnosis and this ensures that the advice provided to managers is consistent with and in accordance with guidance.
Written guidance has been published explaining to managers how to manage self-isolation following a positive test at a station and a handbook has been distributed to relevant officers which is regularly updated as and when PHE guidance changes or when advice needs to be revised in response to developments.

Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents (5)

Andrew Dismore: Do firefighters currently receive training on the harmful health effects of exposure to toxic fire effluents to enable better practice? How regularly are firefighters expected to attend this training if so?

The Mayor: Guidance was provided to all operational staff regarding reducing exposure to contaminants through Ops News 37, published in August 2019. Training content will be added There is currently no specific policy in relation to the cleaning of appliances with regards to toxic fire effluent, although work routines are in place to ensure regular cleaning. Guidance will be provided within the new fire contaminants policy. This policy will be introduced in Q2 of the financial year 2021/22 following consultation.

HSE and LFB Stations (2)

Andrew Dismore: What recommendations did HSE make following their visits to London fire stations since March 2020? Please provide a station by station breakdown.

The Mayor: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Kingston and Bromley fire stations in December 2020 and reviewed a range of COVID-19 related documentation in support of their visits. The HSE found London Fire Brigade (LFB) had put in place a number of controls to prevent transmission of COVID-19 but made recommendations following observation of physical separation between delegates at a specific training event. The HSE recommended that LFB review the risk assessment for that specific training event, which has since been completed. They also recommended that LFB closely monitor the risk assessments and implementation of risk controls on fire station premises, which is being actioned through the Health and Safety Premises Inspection tool and through area-based assurance teams attending stations without prior notice to assure compliance against risk assessments. All recommendations applied to both stations

Audits, Inspections and LFB resources

Andrew Dismore: The need to carry out audits on high-risk high-rise buildings with fire safety defects and to continue safety inspections for those with temporary fire safety measures in place because of fire safety defects is creating additional work for the LFB and using up its resources. Will you press the Government properly to compensate the LFB for having to pick up the slack from ineffective building regulation and stepping in to make sure Londoners are kept safe until these defects are fixed?

The Mayor: Following the Grenfell Tower fire, London Fire Brigade (LFB) officers have worked with the Government to highlight the need for funding to account for the additional work required in carrying out audits across London’s built environment and will continue to do so.
The Government has provided LFB with a one-off grant funding of £2.3 million for the Building Risk Review and £3.2 million for other protection uplift work. I have called on the Government to make this funding permanent to ensure that the Brigade is funded for the additional workload on an ongoing basis in order to keep Londoners safe.

London Fire Brigade

Susan Hall: Please could the Mayor confirm how many Grenfell Inquiry recommendations LFB has completed to date?

The Mayor: As set out in the twelfthprogress reporton the implementation of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations, four of the recommendations directed at London Fire Brigade (LFB), or at fire and rescue services or emergency services generally, have been fully implemented. These relate to the provision of fire escape hoods; updating the policy for the management of operational risk information (PN800), to include7(2)d familiarisation visits; training associated with the above policy; and urgent work required to update Command Unitsystems, ensuring that the Command Support System is fully functioning and providing training for staff. A further completed recommendation, while directed at the National Police Air Service (NPAS) and its datalink for emergency services, was applicable to the Brigade and required action on their part to be taken.
I continue to discuss progress with the London Fire Commissioner regularly and publish a monthly report which can be found here: https://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/mayor-london/grenfell-tower-inquiry-mayoral-updates

LFB Funding from Government (4)

Andrew Dismore: On average how many person hours does a funding application take?

The Mayor: There are very few opportunities for London Fire Brigade to apply for Government funding, and therefore it is difficult to provide information on how long such applications take. The most recent claim to the Home Office for COVID -19 cost reimbursement is estimated to have taken about five person hours, including senior management sign-off. The COVID-19 costs had, however, been regularly collected for internal reporting, as well as for returns to the National Fire Chiefs Council. Therefore, most of the requirements for the claim were readily available to staff working on the application.

HSE and Training (3)

Andrew Dismore: In the light of current restrictions, will face-to-face training still continue during lockdown or will it be paused? If it is to be paused, what will be the criteria for restarting it?

The Mayor: Some face-to-face training is continuing during the current lockdown period but has been limited to training that is either required because London Fire Brigade would face a risk in skills required to meet their statutory obligations, or is critical to the safety and wellbeing of staff and London’s communities. Training courses will be restarted based on these criteria, together with measures being in put place that follow government guidance on managing the risks from COVID-19 infection in workplaces.

Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents (7)

Andrew Dismore: How regularly is PPE professionally cleaned? Has this changed as a result of Covid-19?

The Mayor: PPE is professionally cleaned by London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) service provider, Bristol Uniforms, as and when staff require it and in accordance with the relevant policies - PN693 and PN533. As there is no limit on how many times PPE can be cleaned, LFB does not keep records of when this happens and so cannot provide information on whether this has changed as a result of COVID-19.

Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents (8)

Andrew Dismore: Do fire stations currently operate a zoned system? Do all stations have capacity to provide a designated ‘clean’ zone?

The Mayor: A zonal system is not currently in place. Station risk assessments and a zonal system will be introduced in financial year 2021/22.

LFB Funding from Government (2)

Andrew Dismore: How much of the funding LFB have received directly from Government has been received as a result of LFB making applications to government funds? Please provide a breakdown financial year by financial year.

The Mayor: Of the funding received by London Fire Brigade, the following funding was received following applications to Government, and includes PFI grant, transformation funding and COVID-19 cost reimbursement.
Year
PFI Grant applied for
£m
Other Grants outside of annual funding provision applied for
£m
Description for Other Grants
2015/16
3.7
1.0
Fired Up Grant (0.2m)
Transformation Grant (£0.8m)
2016/17
3.7
0
2017/18
3.7
0.367
Exercise Unified Response (£354k)
Hydrogen Truck Initiative (£14k)
2018/19
3.7
0
2019/20
3.7
0.012
Sustainable Development Grant from Department for Transport
2020/21
3.7
0.252
COVID-19 Grant from the Home Office

LFB Funding from Government (1)

Andrew Dismore: Please provide details of the funding LFB have received directly from Government in the years 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and so far in 2020/21?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) funding is usually provided through the Greater London Authority (GLA) rather than directly by central Government. The below table sets out the specific Government grant income that has been received by LFB for capital and revenue expenditure, outside of the main funding provision.
Year
PFI Grant
(£m)
Other Capital Grants
(£m)
Revenue Grants
(£m)
2015/16
3.7
1.2
11.3
2016/17
3.7
0.1
10.9
2017/18
3.7
0.0
9.6
2018/19
3.7
0.0
13.1
2019/20
3.7
0.0
32.1
2020/21 (to date)
3.7
0.0
35.1

HSE and LFB Stations (4)

Andrew Dismore: With rising rates of Covid-19 and staff numbers being impacted by the need to self-isolate it is vital that mitigations for staff safety are in place and that managers understand how to achieve this. How rigorously are individual fire station Covid-19 risk assessments being evaluated by the LFB?

The Mayor: All fire stations have a risk assessment to identify the hazards and risk control measures from COVID-19 on the station premises. Managers and staff are regularly reminded of the risk control measures that have been identified for their safety and instructed to comply with them.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) is using an existing monitoring system, the Health and Safety Premises Inspection tool, to monitor the COVID-19 arrangements that are in place. This requires monthly inspection of the COVID-19 arrangements at fire stations in accordance with the local station risk assessment. LFB managers are encouraged to take a union representative with them during this inspection.
Area-based assurances teams are attending stations without prior notice to assure compliance against risk assessments and be available to answer any queries by station personnel. The ongoing system of formal joint safety inspections between managers and trade union safety representatives, conducted quarterly, also allows for further scrutiny of COVID-19 arrangements.

Control, Operational Response and Special Operations Group Merger (1)

Andrew Dismore: Please provide an update on the proposed merger between these LFB departments and how this is anticipated to impact upon the work of the LFB.

The Mayor: As part of the Operational Resilience and Special Operations Group Review, a six-month transition period was agreed and this will be completed on 1 April 2021. The new management structure is now in place, with an Assistant Commisioner as head of service and two Deputy Assistant Commissioners (DAC) for Operational Resilience and Control respectively. The DAC for Control is a senior Control Officer which was one of the key recommendations of the review. Other notable changes include the London Resilience Group becoming a standalone department within the Operational Delivery Directorate under the Deputy Commissioner and the Head of London Resilience is now a head of service. Good progress is being made against all 19 of the recommendations andthe transition is being managed within business as usual activity with the majority of the recommendations focused on service delivery improvement, particularly on multi-agency communications during significant or major incidents.

London Fire Brigade

Susan Hall: Could the Mayor confirm whether or not any more Grenfell Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations have been completed by London Fire Brigade since the press release on 28 October 2020?

The Mayor: No further recommendations have been addressed since the end of October 2020, but as detailed in that press release, London Fire Brigade (LFB) is on track to complete the majority of the remaining recommendations aimed at the Brigade, or at fire and rescue services or emergency services generally, by March 2021.
Of the remaining recommendations to complete from the start of the 2021/22 financial year, one is directed specifically to LFB, with a further five directed at all fire and rescue services, and a further six directed to all emergency services. The one outstanding action directed specifically to LFB relates to improved communications and this is scheduled to be fully addressed in May 2022 with the implementation of new breathing apparatus sets incorporating new radio interface equipment. However, this recommendation will be partially addressed during 21/22 financial year with the introduction of new fireground radios and replacement radio repeaters which will deliver significant improvements.

LFB Staff Welfare (1)

Andrew Dismore: Please provide an update on the programme for staff welfare within LFB and how this has been adapted during Covid-19?

The Mayor: The London Fire Brigade (LFB) Counselling and Trauma Services Team and the occupational health service continue to provide support to employees and have adapted to using telephone/video communication as opposed conventional face-to-face interaction. Additionally, LFB provides a range of wellbeing advice and support through internal communication channels in the form of articles and short videos, including updates to employees and managers if the Government/Public Health England advice on COVID-19 changes. Psychological wellbeing has been a focus of regular information communications across the Brigade during the pandemic and counselling provision has also been reinforced by the provision of extra support for frontline staff working with the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and Metropolitan Police using a developing workforce of Mental Health First Aiders.

HSE and Training (1)

Andrew Dismore: What mitigations have been put in place to keep staff safe whilst participating in face-to-face training during the pandemic?

The Mayor: A range of mitigations are in place, in accordance with Government guidance on managing the risks from COVID-19 infection in the workplace, to keep London Fire Brigade (LFB) staff safe whilst participating in face-to-face training during the pandemic.
Risk control measures are centred on the general principles of ‘hands, face, space’ and include maintaining two metre separation from others, wherever possible, through limiting delegate numbers at training events, seating design and arrangements in training rooms and in eating areas and one-way systems. The Brigade has also issued face coverings, or respiratory equipment where required, and encourage regular hand washing or hand sanitisation. There may be other specific risk mitigations dependent upon the course or training venue that are identified by a risk assessment.
Additionally, the overall frequency of face-to-face training has been limited by restricting training delivery to risk critical training courses.

Mayor not being informed of IA 16767 - Trams Management of Operational Risk Audit

Keith Prince: Further to you response to Question 2020/4096, when you rejected the London Assembly’s request for an Independent Investigation of TfL’s behaviour during the Crash Investigation on 18 July 2018, you state that you were not aware that TfL was conducting a Safety Audit of First Group TOL when Sandilands occurred on 9 November 2016.

When did you become aware of the existence of IA 16767?

Please provide me with the exact date when you were informed and all communication and documentation associated with this event.

Does it concern you that, as TfL Chair, you were seemingly kept in the dark for potentially over 18 months about IA 16767 while you were making public statements assuring the public of TfL’s full cooperation and transparency with all crash investigations?

The Mayor: The question is based on the mistaken premise that the decision to put IA 16767 on hold whilst the ORR, BTP and RAIB concluded their investigations was improper and then subsequently covered up. This is plainly incorrect and I refer to my answers to MQs 2020/4094-4099.
Transport for London (TfL) was carrying out an audit in 2016 of ‘Trams Management of Operational Risk’. Evidence gathering was nearing completion with report drafting underway. In light of the tragic event of 9 November 2016 it was decided that it would not be appropriate to continue with finalising the report at that time. The audit was not completed as the work was superseded by the vital investigations into the Sandilands tragedy. In order for the audit report to be meaningful further work would have to have been carried out in relation to the incident itself. On that basis it was not sensible for TfL auditors to try to do this at a time when that work might hamper the internal and external investigations into the Sandilands tragedy or pre-judge the investigations findings. TfL Executives, TOL, RAIB, SNC Lavalin and the Coroner were informed of the uncompleted audit.

Albert Embankment and government intervention

Andrew Dismore: What have been the costs to the LFB for the maintenance and security of Albert Embankment as a result of the Government’s call in of the project? Please provide a month by month breakdown starting from June 2020.

The Mayor: The requested monthly breakdown is provided showing actual costs from June – 9 December 2020 inclusive for maintenance and rates and utilities. Rates and utilities costs have been included to provide clarity on total running costs. Maintenance costs do not include any current committed spend or additional cleaning costs incurred as a result of COVID-19.
The security costs are in relation to the Rear Block site and are estimated costs based on last year’s costs, with the actual bill to be received in April 2021. This is an annual cost met by London Fire Brigade’s development partner for8 Albert Embankment, U+I, who are responsible for security arrangements which, under the terms of the lease, is reimbursed annually by the Brigade and offset by any income U+I may have generated. With security costs paid in arrears, the breakdown reflects the annual cost of 2019/20 apportioned over 12 months.
Month
Maintenance (actual costs)
Security (estimated costs)
Rates & utilities (actual costs)
Total
June
£14,468
£5,667
£17,660
£37,795
July
£24,540
£5,667
£14,474
£44,680
August
£18,919
£5,667
£19,469
£44,055
September
£10,705
£5,667
£19,504
£35,877
October
£5,902
£5,667
£16,532
£28,102
November
£30,484
£5,667
£16,996
£53,147
9 December
£12,534
£5,667
£12,262
£30,463
Total
£117,553
£39,669
£116,897
£274,119

Electric vehicle charging points and LFB (1)

Andrew Dismore: Which fire stations currently offer electric vehicle charging points for public use?

The Mayor: All 97 fire stations that offer electric vehicle charging points are available for staff to use for their private vehicles. No charging points are currently available for the general public to use. The installation of publicly accessible rapid charging points at three fire stations (Acton, Hillingdon and Surbiton) is in progress.

Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (1)

Andrew Dismore: How many fire safety inspecting officers does LFB currently employ and how many does it predict it will need to deal with future demand?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade currently employs 84 Inspecting Officers and a further 40 Fire Safety Advisors who conduct ‘simple’ audits and should develop into Inspecting Officers. In terms of future demand, MHCLG have identified circa 62,000 premises in London that may fall within ‘higher risk’ categories that they may consider designating as being within scope of the new building safety regulator. That includes care homes, sheltered housing blocks, and hospitals where the vulnerability of residents is a crucial factor. The precise level of future demand is, therefore, currently unknown, although it is not expected to decline, and Inspecting Officers will continue to audit premises using a risk-based inspection programme.

Body worn video reviews

Unmesh Desai: Please advise what types of body worn video footage are currently reviewed by community monitoring groups and any other public scrutiny groups, including how the dip sampling process functions.

The Mayor: BWV footage is reviewed by local Stop and Search Community Monitoring Groups (CMGs) as part of their regular community scrutiny of the use of stop and search powers. Members of the newly formed London-wide Strategic Use of Force Oversight Group, which is chaired by a Deputy Assistant Commissioner, may also review BWV where there are specific concerns.
CMGs randomly select footage for review from the available data and follow a formalised process, which involves feeding back to the local community and to the Police on their observations. The Use of Force Oversight Group operates differently in that its members do not routinely review BWV, However, if community members raise concerns, usually relating to events seen on social media, the group may review BWV that is relevant to the specific encounter. As part of the Action Plan the Met are exploring how this model can be taken from a force wide position to a more local level.

HSE and LFB Stations (3)

Andrew Dismore: How do the LFB’s risk assessments ensure that risks are equally mitigated for all staff and that no staff face additional risks because of protected characteristics (ie gender)?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) has completed an equalities impact assessment of COVID-19 and the associated equality impacts on the Brigade. This assessment paid particular attention to the Public Health England report entitled ‘Disparities in the risk and outcomes from COVID-19’, which discusses the differences observed in health outcomes from coronavirus infection for different groups of people. LFB’s assessment identified a range of impacts and associated mitigating actions.
All LFB staff have completed an individual COVID-19 risk assessment that identifies their individual risk from known factors such as their age, gender, ethnicity and health status, allowing managers to identify specific additional risk controls required to keep staff at higher individual risk from poor health outcomes safe. Guidance for managers and staff was produced in relation to both individual COVID-19 risk assessment and for the broader impacts that might face staff during the pandemic.

Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents (9)

Andrew Dismore: What policies are currently in place regarding the regular cleaning and decontamination of appliances?

The Mayor: There is currently no specific policy in relation to the cleaning of appliances with regards to
toxic fire effluent, although work routines are in place to ensure regular cleaning. Guidance will be provided within the new fire contaminants policy. This policy will be introduced in Q2 of the financial year 2021/22 following consultation.

LFB Funding from Government (3)

Andrew Dismore: How many funds did LFB apply to unsuccessfully in the financial years 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and so far in 2020/21?

The Mayor: There are limited opportunities for London Fire Brigade to apply for Government funding. Details of the two unsuccessful applications in that time are provided below.
Year
Unsuccessful Claims
2015/16
£2.8m for the tri-fire transformation bid
2016/17
N/A
2017/18
Bellwin scheme funding claimed for Grenfell costs but was below claim de-minimis
2018/19
N/A
2019/20
N/A
2020/21
N/A